It was an absolutely incredible night of music with Van playing lots of hits with a good band and then coming out and doing Astral Weeks in its entirety.

From a writing/reviewing standpoint, I was a bit anxious about the assignment because I had seen Van so many times over the years, and I had no idea which of the mercurial Vans would show up on this night as he played his most critically revered album, which was more than 40 years old.

But it all turned out OK. Actually, if you read the review, you will see it was much better than OK. I need a little more time to figure out where the concert stands on my all-time list, but I know it is at least in the Top 3, and it likely could be No. 1 when I am done contemplating.

Meanwhile, if you don't already have the Astral Weeks Live at Hollywood Bowl CD, you absolutely need to pick it up. As folks who know me already know, I do not generally dig live albums. But this one is absolutely special and worth owning and playing over and over.